Looking for a Cost-Effective Gold Recovery Solution? Discover the Wet Pan Mill & Gravity Separation Combo!

Wet Pan Mill - Gravity Separation Machine

Wet Pan Mill: The Golden Partner in Gravity Concentration Processes

Among numerous mineral processing equipment, the wet pan mill stands out for its simple structure, low investment cost, and easy operation and maintenance, occupying an irreplaceable position in small and medium-sized gold and iron ore processing plants. Especially when combined with gravity separation equipment (such as shaking tables and centrifugal concentrators), it can achieve a synergistic effect of 1+1>2. As a professional manufacturer with 20 years of experience in mineral processing equipment manufacturing, we will provide you with an in-depth analysis of this classic combination.

Equipment Overview and Working Principle

The wet pan mill, also known as a wet grinding mill, is a device that combines crushing, grinding, stirring, and mixing functions. Its core working components are 1-3 heavy steel grinding wheels that roll along a fixed track on a circular grinding pan. Ore and water (sometimes with a small amount of mercury added) are fed into the grinding pan. Under the gravity crushing of the grinding wheels and the friction between the materials, the ore is ground and the gold minerals are liberated. The liberated heavy minerals (such as gold particles) accumulate at the bottom of the grinding pan under the action of water flushing and gravity, forming heavy sand, which is convenient for subsequent collection or direct entry into gravity separation equipment for purification.

Gold grinding machine structural diagram

Why Choose the Wet Grinding + Gravity Separation Combination?

Analysis of Core Advantages

1. Low Investment and Operating Costs: Compared to the ball mill + cyanide leaching process, wet pan mills and gravity separation equipment do not require complex reagent systems and large plant facilities, and have lower power consumption, making them very suitable for processing plants with limited funds or small processing capacities.

2. Stable Recovery Rate, Especially Suitable for Coarse Gold: For coarse, flaky gold visible to the naked eye, gravity concentration is the most direct and efficient recovery method. The gentle grinding method of the wet pan mill can reduce over-grinding and caking of gold, and when combined with equipment such as shaking tables, it can efficiently recover coarse gold, ensuring a reliable overall recovery rate.

3. Lower Environmental and Safety Risks: This process typically uses little to no toxic chemicals such as cyanide, relying primarily on physical separation methods, significantly reducing environmental risks and safety management pressures. The resulting tailings are also easier to process.

4. Simple Operation and Strong Adaptability: The equipment has a simple structure, requires low technical skills from operators, and is easy to maintain. Furthermore, it can process not only oxidized ores but also certain primary ores, and performs exceptionally well in processing placer gold deposits.

Gold grinding machine customer site

Successful Application Case

In a small placer gold mine project in West Africa, we configured a process flow for our client consisting of two wet pan mills + one shaking table. The raw ore was river sand containing coarse gold particles with uneven particle size. The wet pan mills first scrubbed and pre-ground the ore, allowing the gold particles to be fully liberated and concentrated. The discharge from the pan mills, after simple screening, entered the shaking table for further concentration. Ultimately, the total gold recovery rate of this production line reached over 85%, far exceeding the client's expectations, and the investment was recovered within one year. This fully demonstrates the economic efficiency of gravity separation equipment for specific types of ore.

Equipment Selection and Matching Suggestions

• Wet Pan Mill Selection: Choose single-wheel, double-wheel, or triple-wheel models based on processing capacity (typically 1-10 tons/hour). We offer a full range of products from 900mm to 1500mm in diameter, and can customize grinding wheels and grinding pan liners with different materials based on ore hardness.

• Recommended Gravity Separation Equipment:

◦ Shaking Table: Excellent separation effect, high enrichment ratio, and can produce multiple products simultaneously; it is the most classic partner for wet pan mills.

◦ Centrifugal Concentrator/Nelson Concentrator: Suitable for recovering fine gold particles, with large processing capacity, and can serve as a high-efficiency enrichment device after the wet pan mill.

◦ Jig: Suitable for processing coarse and medium-grained materials, and can be used as a pre-selection device before the wet pan mill to remove tailings in advance. H2: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

FAQ 1: Can a wet disc mill complete gold extraction independently?

Yes, but not completely. The wet disc mill itself has a certain enrichment effect and can produce heavy sand, but the gold grade is unstable and contains a large amount of impurities. It usually needs to be combined with gravity separation equipment such as shaking tables for further refinement to obtain high-grade gold concentrate or bullion.

FAQ 2: What types of gold ore are suitable for this combined process?

It is most suitable for processing ores with a high degree of oxidation, good gold mineral liberation, especially those containing coarse-grained or flaky gold, such as placer gold deposits and oxidized quartz vein ores. For sulfide ores with extremely fine gold particles and severe encapsulation, the recovery rate of this process may not be ideal, and flotation or cyanidation processes should be considered.

FAQ 3: Compared with a ball mill, what is the grinding fineness of a wet disc mill?

The particle size of the grinding product from a wet disc mill is usually coarser, generally with 40%-60% at 0.074mm (200 mesh). This is considered selective grinding, aiming for liberation without excessive pulverization. Ball mills, on the other hand, can easily achieve finer particle sizes (e.g., over 90% at -200 mesh). The choice depends on the particle size of the gold embedded in the ore.

Perfect after-sales service

Baichy Heavy Industry provides professional on-site guidance for installation, training of workers, and other services to ensure that customers can use the equipment smoothly.

The company has a complete after-sales service system, which can provide customers with timely technical support and equipment maintenance services to ensure the long-term stable operation of the equipment.

To prevent the rights and interests of customers from being infringed, Baichy Heavy Industry reminds customers: please contact our customer service staff through the official website of Baichy Heavy Industry , or add WhatsApp: 15093222637 ; or send an email to: [email protected] , we will get in touch with you as soon as possible and provide you with the most professional service in the industry.

Baichy Heavy Industry

Baichy Machinery is a factory supplier of mining machinery, mainly focusing on stone crushers, powder grinding mills, and mineral beneficiation plants. We can offer you a free design and completed solutions according to your project.

Baichy Heavy Industry has grown into a high-tech mining equipment comprehensive enterprise, integrating R&D, manufacturing, sales, and after-sales service, Passing ISO9001:2015 quality management system certifications. The main products are mobile jaw crushing plants, construction waste crushing plants, PE jaw crushers, VSI sand-making machines, Symons cone crushers, single-cylinder hydraulic cone crushers, PCX high-fine crushers, grinding mills, ball mills, and full sets of beneficiation equipment with an excellent level.